Student Resources

Poster Templates

Community Engagement Showcase Templates

Poster Design and Printing Guide

Choose a Poster Template

• Choose one of our available CURE poster templates to create your poster.
• Type your poster content into a Word document, proofread it, and then copy and paste your content into the poster template.

Poster Template Elements

• Our templates use the following poster structure: introduction – research goal – methods – figures and results – conclusion – acknowledgments – references. The text in the headers can be changed to suit your project.
• You are encouraged to discuss best practices for research posters specific to your field of
  study with your faculty mentor.
• The poster template size is set to 32 inches high x 40 inches wide. Please do not alter.
• The NIU logo is not editable.

Poster Tips

Font

• Choose legible fonts (e.g., Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond).
• Use bold or italics to emphasize a point. Underlined words can be more difficult to read.

Color

• Contrast is important. Use dark font colors on light backgrounds and light font colors on dark backgrounds (easiest to read).

Communicating Your Message

• Your poster tells a story and conveys your takeaway message, but avoid overcrowding your poster with content.
• Use of bullets and short phrases helps keep your content concise and easy to follow.
• Use graphics (i.e., figures, photos, graphs, charts) to convey most information.
• Avoid using images directly from the web. The quality may be poor and may not print clearly.
• Ethically use copyrighted materials or find openly licensed content. Contact your subject specialist
  librarian if you have questions or need help finding free-to-use images.

View the Judge's Rubric

Read the judge's rubric (DOCX) to learn more about the criteria used to rate your poster presentation.

• Design your poster to answer the rubric.

Save and Submit the Poster

• Save as a PDF.
• Select "export" from the PowerPoint drop-down menu.
• File must be no larger than 10MB in size.
• File name should include your last name and keyword/s from the poster title (e.g., Reilly_Peer Modeling).

Submit Your Poster

• Submit your poster when it is final and has been proofread and reviewed by your faculty mentor.
  We will not reprint a revised version of your poster.
• Submit your poster through Symposium using the CURE Poster Submission Form.

Poster Printing

• Posters submitted in advance of deadline, will be printed for you and displayed in your assigned area on the day of CURE.
• Printing will be your responsibility if your poster is not received by the deadline.

Questions? 

Email engage@niu.edu. 

CURE Workshop Series

If you are looking to learn more about the Conference on Undergraduate Research and Engagement, designing an academic poster and communicating research are welcome to join us for the following CURE workshop sessions. All sessions will be held in the Lincoln Room on the second floor of the Holmes Student Center.

Additional Resources

• Huskie Commons, CURE posters
• NIU University Writing Center 
• Undergraduate Research Center (UC Davis)
• Abstract and Artist Statement Guidelines (University of Washington)
• Creating a Poster (The Writing Center, UW Madison)